Washington Council of Lawyers has selected Fried Frank as our 2020 Law Firm Award Recipient. We are thrilled to recognize the firm’s outstanding dedication to pro bono and express our appreciation for your long-term support of our mission to promote pro bono service and public-interest law.

Our Law Firm Award highlights an outstanding commitment to public service and applauds the ways that Fried Frank has partnered with Washington Council of Lawyers and the larger D.C. pro bono community to advance access to justice.

Fried Frank is a major international law firm, recognized for complex financial transactions, securities enforcement work, and high-stakes litigation across the globe. But its lawyers also focus on serving individuals and organizations at home here in D.C. Fried Frank has demonstrated an outstanding dedication to pro bono work and a strong pro bono culture. The firm is a leader in the community, known for the strength and breadth of the pro bono work the firm undertakes. This year, Washington Council of Lawyers was grateful to receive your pro bono assistance on two advocacy projects: testimony in preparation for a Civil Justice Roundtable before the D.C. Council, and advocacy to the D.C. Court of Appeals on the issue of diploma privilege in DC. The firm’s willingness to step up on local advocacy projects is exemplary.

We also recognize with gratitude Fried Frank’s financial and in-kind support of our programs and mission. We value our partnership in publishing our twice a month Public Interest Jobs Clearinghouse. This resource supports law students and lawyers who wish to use their talents to advance access to justice and serve their communities. Fried Frank’s assistance is essential to our ability to publish this valuable career resource for our public-interest community. For more than a decade, the Public Interest Jobs Clearinghouse has been a cost-effective way for local nonprofits to advertise job openings, and for lawyers interested in pursuing a public-interest career to know about available positions. Fried Frank dedicates hours of secretarial time each month to coordinate the production of this publication.

We appreciate the firm’s commitment to hosting our Best Practices in Pro Bono breakfast series for the past several years. This program series brings together pro bono coordinators from law firms, legal services organizations, in-house legal departments, government agencies and law schools to share tips for making pro bono work effective and meaningful. The program could not happen without your creative support.

Fried Frank has been a strong partner at our Summer Forum and Supreme Court: View from the Press Gallery programs each summer. The firm inculcates a commitment to pro bono among summer associates, as the future lawyers and leaders of the firm. The firm also has been a helpful partner in providing legal advice on our communications policies and privacy issues. This type of graciously-offered expert transactional and IP legal help is critical to our ability to carry out our mission.

Finally, we recognize the importance of law firms supporting their attorneys’ participation with organizations like the Washington Council of Lawyers. Fried Frank’s Public Service Counsel, Karen Grisez has been an active member of our Board of Directors and our Pro Bono and Public-Interest Committee for many years. During that time, she has represented the firm on the DC Pro Bono Week Planning Committee and coordinated the student volunteer opportunity in conjunction with the Equal Justice Works Conference and Career Fair, which coincides with Pro Bono Week. The firm provides support for public-interest law and the delivery of pro bono services in a variety of ways that go beyond direct service and are vital to our community. Karen also has been a leader in coordinating the Immigration & Human Rights panel at our annual Summer Pro Bono & Public-Interest Forum for numerous years. We applaud her years of service, dedication, and commitment to pro bono work and our community.

For these reasons and many more, we are proud to recognize Fried Frank as our 2020 Law Firm Award Recipient.